


On the Edge of Summer

by yodepalma



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-11-06 05:01:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11029176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yodepalma/pseuds/yodepalma
Summary: When Noct can't make it on their long-planned vacation in Galdin Quay, Prompto expects to spend the week alone. Hedoesn'texpect to save someone's life.





	On the Edge of Summer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [greyskiesblack](https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyskiesblack/gifts).



> This is a very vaguely handwaved AU in which Noct is still a prince and most of his powers and stuff still exist, but the game plot basically has nothing to do with anything? And I use Galdin Quay as the location for the lulz, but it only vaguely sort of resembles the game's resort. Wee~
> 
> This whole thing was supposed to be a birthday present for greyskiesblack, but it's been like a week or something since then and I've only finished the _first part_ so uh. Here's said first part. Don't hold your breath on the other two parts though? I'm still not entirely certain what I'm doing here.
> 
> There...may also one day be side stories to this damn thing. I don't even know what happened.

There's a storm his first night in Galdin. Prompto sighs as he stares out the window, watching the rain pelt down so thick he can barely see the ocean. He'd wanted to get pictures as soon as he got here, send them to Noct so he can enjoy the summer while he's trapped in the Citadel. Instead he'd _barely_ gotten his bag inside before the rain started, and after one look at the dark sky he'd opted to stay inside. He kind of regrets it now. The pitch-black surroundings aren't exactly captivating.

At least the rain and the waves are relaxing. Better than the howling wind that had been threatening to tear down the few trees in the area earlier. And it helps that he's in the hotel instead of the caravan. It's comfortable here, the wind unable to rock the entire building like it would be doing to the RV. He knows he's safe. It's a good feeling.

The storm will probably blow out overnight anyway. If he gets up early enough he can get some post-storm sunrise shots. He can wander over to the haven, stare at the wildlife and choppy waves, maybe spend the whole day out there just relaxing. No need to rush anything. He has a whole week to take it all in.

His own yawn cuts off his thoughts.  Even alone he can't stop his own sheepish grin, feeling apologetic for interrupting a conversation that wasn't happening.

Maybe he'll go to sleep. He might feel less crazy in the morning.

He picks up the phone he discarded on the table earlier and texts Noct. Thanks him again for the vacation, tells him that he should be here like they'd originally planned. He takes a picture of the view from his window, says Noct is _totally_ missing out. They don't see storms like this in Insomnia. Noct would love it.

It sucks that he hadn't been able to make it. Prompto had offered to stay in Insomnia with him, maybe wait until next year to take him up on the vacation, but Noct wasn't having any of it. Apparently Prompto hadn't hid his disappointment well enough; Noct had insisted that letting him give up the vacation would be like kicking a puppy. So Prompto had come out here alone.

It's okay, though. At least this way Noct won't spend half the trip making fun of him for all the research he'd done beforehand. Or for his half-joking hope to find an actual mermaid. Even _Iggy_ had laughed at that. His friends are jerks.

But it's still kind of lonely without them. Playing King's Knight isn't the same when there's nobody to talk about it with, and the silence seems louder than the storm.

He doesn't close his curtains when he strips off his clothes, just flumps down on the comfortable bed and burrows under more blankets than he strictly needs.

The blankets are gone in the morning, and he shivers in the air conditioned room. He pulls his pillow to his chest and sighs, thinking about staying in bed until the day is over.

He doesn’t, of course. The sunrise isn't going to take pictures of itself.

The beach is empty when he runs down onto the sand, even the fishing shack closed up and the insomniacs in bed. The sun is thinking really hard about rising. Prompto takes a picture, adjusts his settings and turns off the flash. Enjoys the long stroll and smiles up at the birds starting to take flight over the ocean.

When he rounds the boulder that marks the edge of the resort's safe area, he almost changes his plans. He wasn't expecting the giant crab monsters to be there. Not that they'll attack if he keeps his distance, he knows, but the very sight of them chills him.

On the other hand, they look great against the backdrop of the cliffs and the still-choppy sea. He can't resist taking pictures, inching closer but prepared to bolt the second they look threatened. He gets closer than he expects to and he frowns down at his camera. He's no expert on monsters or anything, and Gladio isn't there to correct him, but he's pretty sure it's not normal for the beasts to be huddled so closely together. It almost looks like they're hunting. Probably some poor whale has beached itself and is about to become breakfast. Switching the flash back on, he tiptoes closer again, until he catches sight of a silvery gray tail that doesn't look like a whale at all.

The flash attracts the attention of the crabs, and their instant spin towards him opens up the huddle enough for Prompto to see what had them so focused.

It's unmistakably a man's torso.

The man must be dead. Prompto should wait until the hunters head out for the day and ask them to kill the crabs and bring the body in.

He almost turns around to do it. But if the man's _alive_ , if Prompto does nothing and the crabs tear him apart...

It's easy to curse himself even as he reaches for a gun. It appears in his hand with a sparkle of light, drawn from the Armiger with ease. He's glad Ignis talked him into practicing so much.

He has to jog a few steps backward to shoot the first crab as it lifts its claws to attack him. The shell is harder than he'd expected, taking the bullets with, well, not _ease_ exactly but it seems to hurt less than it should. It's a good thing he's fast, that his aim is never off. A better thing that there's only three of them, so he can dodge the clumsy rushes, shoot their eyes out and figure out the best places to aim.

It's not as hard as it could've been. He doesn't know if it's because he's improved as much as Cor tells him, or the crabs had been injured during the storm. Well, it doesn't matter anyway.

He waits until he's absolutely _sure_ none of those things are still alive, but once the last leg (mostly) stops twitching he runs toward the body.

He doesn't realize until he skids to a halt next to it that the man isn't really a man. The fin he'd glimpsed before is attached to him, like actually a part of his _body_. It's kind of creepy. But his human half is beautiful. And he's hurt. There's a little pool of blood spreading under his head, his fin looks shredded, and there's a dozen other scratches that aren't clotted yet.

Prompto gnaws on his lower lip. He knows he should leave this man to his fate, to be torn up by the next batch of crabs or maybe a flock of birds or something. The stories all say that merfolk can't be trusted, that they're fickle and wily and just as likely to drag you into the sea with them as save you.

But Prompto can't just _leave_ him. He doesn't feel comfortable tossing him back under the waves, either. That fin doesn't look like it'll be up for much swimming.

Prompto takes a deep breath, swinging his camera over his neck, and gingerly tries to pick the man up. He's heavier than he looks. Prompto pulls an arm across his shoulders instead, grasps around the man's middle, and drags him back to the resort. His fingers slip on the metal of the bracelets the merman is wearing, and Prompto has to adjust his grip more than once.

And to think Ignis had convinced him merfolk didn't exist. He's looking forward to waving the evidence in Ignis' face.

The merman doesn't stay passed out for long. Prompto manages to put him in the bathtub and run some lukewarm water over his tail, and before the bathtub is even full he feels someone looking at him. He looks up into hazy storm-gray eyes and grins nervously.

"Um, hi," Prompto says.

The merman focuses his gaze on Prompto's and his tail twitches weakly. "You're human," he says, feeling for the ledges of the tub and pushing himself up. "I had no idea humans could be so pretty."

Prompto blushes and turns away to fiddle with the taps. "Do you know a lot of humans?" he asks, and is pleased when his voice doesn't come out in a squeak.

"Well, you're the first one I've spoken with," the merman admits. "Your sailors tend to attack without reason these days."

"They think you're dangerous."

"We can be," he says and gestures vaguely around the small bathroom. "Better than being hunted or held captive."

"Oh! I wasn't trying to—you can go any time," Prompto says. He leans his arms on the edge of the tub and tries to smile reassuringly. "I think you washed up on shore during the storm last night, there were these huge crabs and you looked really hurt so I thought I'd help. Your tail's kinda messed up, I wasn't sure if you'd be able to swim right and I was worried you'd get _hurt_ and—uh, well, I figured you should maybe stay wet or something."

The merman listens to Prompto ramble with a faint smirk. "I suppose I should thank you, then," he says, lifting his tail out of the water and inspecting it. The huffing noise he makes sounds annoyed, but if he's in any pain he doesn't mention it. "Do you have a name, human?"

"It's Prompto. What's yours?"

"Dino," the merman says, reaching out a hand and gently touching Prompto's cheek. "It's lovely to meet you, Prompto."

"Um, you too?" Prompto stays very still, waiting for Dino to drop his hand. Dino takes his time doing so, smiling faintly as he stares at Prompto like he's trying to memorize his face. Prompto can feel himself blush again, but he doesn't look away. "Can you tell me what it's like in the ocean?"

Dino blinks slowly at him, looking sort of bemused, but nods agreeably. "What would you like to know?"

Prompto stretches his legs out, laying his arms flat on the ledge so he can rest his head on them. "Anything. _Every_ thing. I bet it's amazing."

Dino lifts his tail out of the water and rests it next to Prompto's elbow. Prompto pretends _really hard_ that he doesn't notice it, but it's impossible to ignore the feel of water cooling on his skin. And he's pretty sure Dino did it on _purpose_. But as Dino starts talking about merfolk society and kelp forests and _swimming with sharks_ , he forgets the awkwardness entirely.

He almost falls asleep listening to Dino's stories, but Dino wakes him up by splashing cool water in his face. Prompto sputters even though there wasn't a lot of water and levels Dino with a glare as he wipes a hand down his face.

"Do you need me to change the water?" Prompto asks as he gets up, because there's no point in being rude.

"The water's rather refreshing, but thank you," Dino says. "And I'm sure I can figure out the controls if I change my mind."

"Oh, okay." Prompto hovers next to the tub awkwardly, wondering if he should offer, like, a pillow or something. Dino hadn't mentioned how they sleep down there. "Um, have a good night, then?"

"You too," Dino says, giving Prompto one last smile before he leans back and closes his eyes. Prompto forces himself to turn away even though what he _wants_ to do is admire Dino's face while Dino can't see him. Except that's probably creepy even for merfolk, right? Right. He backs slowly out of the room, flipping off the light as he does. The door thunks softly shut behind him and he takes a long second to lean against it before he stumbles over to the bed. He remembers to take off his clothes at the last minute, wrinkling his nose at the thought of getting sand _in his bed_. Gods, that would've been the worst.

When he wakes up the next morning the first thing he notices is the evil sun shining straight into his eyes. The _second_ thing he notices is the sound of the water running in the tub and he sits up so quickly it makes him dizzy. He almost falls off the stupid bed, even though it's big enough for at least two people.

The water turns off while he's waiting for his head to clear, and he scowls down at the bedspread as he tries to figure out _why_ there could possibly be someone in the bathroom. He certainly hadn't brought anyone home last night. Even when he goes out drinking with the guys he never leaves with anyone. No matter _how_ much Gladio encourages him to.

A faint splash filters through the closed door, and that's all it takes for Prompto to remember that he has an _actual merman_ hidden in his bathroom. Oh, man. When did his life get this cool?

...And did he remember to put the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on his door handle?

Prompto scrambles out of bed and finds the sign underneath a table. He eases the door open just a crack so he can slide his arm outside and flail around until the sign catches on the door handle. _Right_ in time for a maid to start coming down the hallway with a cart of cleaning supplies. Prompto smiles nervously out at her as she walks by. She winks at him. Like she knows what's going on to make Prompto hang a door sign in his underwear, except obviously she doesn't know that he's hiding a merman. She probably thinks he's hiding a _girl_. Prompto blushes and slams the door, whining a little as the maid's laughter echoes into the room. He's never going to be able to show his face outside of this room _ever again_.

He takes a deep breath to calm himself down, then pulls on his clothes from the day before. He knocks on the bathroom door before he opens it, and it's only when Dino smiles up at him that he realizes he has a big problem. He can't pee with someone watching, and he _really_ has to go.

"G-good morning," Prompto says. "Um. I don't mean to be rude but how long can you stay out of the water for?"

Dino raises his eyebrows and looks like he's mulling over his answer. "I can _survive_ a few days," he says eventually. "But it'll be uncomfortable before the first day is over. Why do you ask?"

Prompto waves his hand at the toilet. "I, um, I have to...relieve myself? And it's weird if you're in here when I do. Or when I take a shower, and I'm gonna want to do that before the end of the week."

"Are these always private matters for humans?" Dino asks, his tone curious.

" _Yes_ ," Prompto replies emphatically. "Very, extremely private."

Dino nods in understanding and starts moving around the tub. Prompto stares uncomprehendingly until Dino tries to lift himself out.

"Oh, let me help!" Prompto steps forward and grabs Dino's arm, and between the two of them they barely manage to get Dino sitting on the ledge. Prompto has to keep a hand on him to keep him upright; it turns out having a fish tail isn't really conducive to sitting like a normal person.

"How did you get me _in_ there?" Dino asks, laughing breathlessly. Prompto isn't sure how he managed it any more, so he shrugs uncomfortably and moves in front of Dino while he tries to figure out how to get him up. Maybe if he tugs hard enough he'll...obviously strain something in his _own_ arms, never mind in the merman's. Ugh. "If you help me get to the floor, I'm sure I could drag myself into the other room…."

Prompto frowns and thinks about the tile floor in the other room. Maybe Dino is used to sleeping on rocks or something, but he still doesn't think the tiles will be comfortable to lay on while Dino waits for Prompto to get out of the bathroom.

"I'm not going to make you lay on the floor," Prompto says. He keeps a careful hand on Dino's shoulder and turns slowly around until he can sit on the ledge next to him. He pulls one of Dino's arms around his shoulders and wraps the other around Dino's waist, then slowly gets back to his feet.

"You're stronger than you look," Dino murmurs _right_ in Prompto's ear. Prompto jumps a _mile_ and has to bite his lip to hold back some nervous laughter. He doesn't respond, not sure what to say, and instead carry-drags Dino out to the bedroom and gently lowers him onto the foot of the bed. He hopes the bedspread will dry out by the time he goes to sleep again.

"Is this okay?" Prompto asks, shifting between his feet. He really wants to just bolt for the bathroom, but he it'd feel way too rude.

"It's very comfortable, thank you." Dino wriggles on the bed as if he's looking for a better position and Prompto pretends he isn't distracted by his flexing muscles. Dino looks even better in the sunlight, his scales glinting distractingly but not distracting enough to keep Prompto's attention off the rest of him. "Don't let me keep you from your business."

"I-I'll be right out!" Prompto squeaks, and now that Dino seems comfortable he speedwalks back to the bathroom. The sound of the door closing is relieving, but Prompto doesn't have time to let himself relax. He _finally_ pees and washes his hands, then decides to brush his teeth for good measure even though he hasn't eaten anything yet that morning. And then he figures he should wash his _face_ too, because he's probably still gross from yesterday, and maybe he should take a shower? Dino probably doesn't care if he smells funny, assuming he'd notice.

Why is he thinking about this? Dino is _half fish_.

Prompto shakes his head at himself and runs his wet hands through his hair before he dries them off. Not like he's trying to impress Dino or anything, but his hair had been a _mess_ and it was bothering him.

He firmly tells his brain to shut the heck up before he walks back out to the bedroom. Dino apparently got bored while he was waiting on Prompto, because he has his upper half propped up on one elbow while he pokes at Prompto's phone. How did he manage to reach that?

At least Prompto set up a password after the last time Noct had gotten hold of it.

Dino looks up as Prompto approaches the bed, smiling without the slightest hint of guilt. "I've seen sailors drop these over the sides of their boats," he says, holding the phone out to Prompto. "I thought they were strange weights. Why does it light up?"

Prompto takes the phone from him slowly. "We use it to communicate with people we can't talk to in person," he explains awkwardly. "And we can talk into it if we want to, but people mostly text these days. Um. Texting is like writing?"

"I see," Dino murmurs, though he still looks confused. Well, it's not Prompto's fault he's awful at explaining things.

"Anyway, I'm done in the bathroom if you want to get back in the tub," Prompto says and, wow, this conversation just gets more awkward every time he opens his mouth.

"I can stay out here if you're not going anywhere," Dino says. "I doubt the floor was very comfortable for you if you're used to laying on this thing."

"Well, no," Prompto admits. "But I don't want you to get uncomfortable either, and you're still healing."

"I can heal just as well outside of the water as in it. And I'd like to hear about life on land, if you don't mind."

"If you're _sure_ ," Prompto says uncertainly, and doesn't feel reassured when Dino nods at him. "Let me grab a chair…"

"You don't want to lay on this thing?" Dino's smile is a little teasing. "Is this another private human thing?"

"W-well, that's mostly used for sleeping?" Prompto feels _really_ uncomfortable explaining this. "And, y'know, um. Sex things. So."

Dino's grin spreads across his face, way too pleased with Prompto's description. "And yet you had no trouble letting me lay here while you were in another room."

"There was nowhere else to put you!" Prompto protests, horrified when he starts to blush. "You'd slide out of a chair and I can't just leave you on the floor and—"

Dino surprises him by laughing at his flustered ramble, which only makes Prompto's blush get worse.

"You know what?" Prompto grumbles.  "Fine. The bed's more comfortable anyway."

He tries not to think about how weird it is to be getting in a bed with someone, but he can't stop himself from feeling awkward as Dino turns over in the bed to look at him while they talk. If Dino notices how nervous Prompto is, he doesn't say anything, just puts a hand on Prompto's knee and smiles up at him.

"Will you tell me more about your culture?" Dino asks softly. "Or would you like me to continue my stories from last night?"

Prompto licks his lips, not sure where he would even start to explain humanity to a _merman_ , but it isn't fair to make Dino do all the talking. "Uh, what do you want to know about the most? I don't really know where to start."

Dino stares thoughtfully at him for a while, but finally plucks at Prompto's shorts. "Tell me about your coverings. Is it for decoration or do they serve another purpose?"

Prompto looks down at his clothes with wide eyes. He never thought he'd have to explain something as basic as _clothing_ to someone but, well, here he is. He gives himself another second to pull his thoughts together, and then does his best to explain why humans cover their bodies for modesty.

Dino nods along like he understands, but once Prompto finishes his ramble he frowns. "But how will your potential mates know you're their best choice if you don't show off your assets?" And he flexes like he's showing off _for Prompto_. This is how Prompto dies. Killed by a hot merman who might arguably be _flirting with him_.

"W-well, um, humans usually get to know each other before they mate? Like. Talking and stuff." Prompto leaves out one night stands because he doesn't want to give Dino any ideas.

"But what do you need to talk about if you don't know there's going to be any children?" Dino looks horrified. "Are humans so fertile that every instance of copulation gives you a clutch?"

"What? No!"  Prompto is blushing again, he knows it. "Th-that's just how things work, okay?"

Dino laughs. "Okay," he says. Prompto can hear his tail flap against the side of the bed. He wishes he knew what that _meant_. "Humans are strange and I'll have to get over it."

Prompto huffs. "Maybe _merfolk_ are the strange ones."

But he isn't annoyed enough to refuse to answer Dino's next question.

@-`---

Prompto manages to spend most of the week cooped up in his hotel room with Dino, dragging him back and forth between the bathroom and the bed every morning and night. He's surprised by how quickly Dino's wounds heal, but the injury on his tail still looks _awful_. Dino smiles faintly at him when he mentions it.

"It's better than it was," he assures Prompto. "It's at least good enough for me to swim without issue, and it'll only be a few more weeks until it's completely better." He lifts his tailfin up off the bed to look at it. "Well. It'll be healed, but it'll never look the same."

"Oh, I'm sorry?" Prompto pouts a little. "Didn't the table salt help? I mean, I know it's not the same as being back in the ocean but it's the best I could do and…"

"The salt was _very_ helpful," Dino says. He puts a hand on Prompto's arm and _smiles_. It's not the first time Dino's done something like that. In fact, he seems to do it a lot, like, way more than is strictly necessary. Prompto still hasn't figured out if it's a merfolk thing or a flirting thing, and he's kind of scared to find out. "You didn't need to go to so much trouble."

"I didn't want to hurt you worse with freshwater or something." Prompto laughs nervously, rubbing at the back of his head. "I don't even know anything about _fish_ , let alone merfolk. I mean. I didn't until you told me. You know?"

"I know," Dino says. He moves his hand away from Prompto's arm and fiddles with a bracelet. "I should thank you for telling me about humans as well. It's been a very…enlightening week."

"Yeah…" Prompto looks down at his hands, wiggling his fingers as he thinks. "I'm...I'm going to miss you. I mean, talking with you! And all the information and...and stuff."

"Well, I'm going to miss _you_." Dino grins sincerely. "I don't think I would have enjoyed being stranded on land if someone else had saved me."

"Oh, thanks?" Prompto chews on his lip. "I guess...I'm glad it was you I saved too."

He isn't sure why admitting that is so embarrassing, so he gets up to take Dino back to the bathroom. They've perfected the maneuver over the week, so it's much easier than it had been the first couple of times. Dino makes a happy noise as Prompto runs warm water over his tail.

"Anyway, I guess I'll help you back to the ocean in the morning?" Prompto says, hovering for a second while Dino nods his agreement. "Good night, then."

"Good night, Prompto," Dino murmurs. Prompto can feel his eyes on his back as he walks out of the room.

He flops onto the bed fully dressed, shoving his face into his pillow and groaning. He doesn't actually _want_ to go back to Insomnia tomorrow. Galdin is much more interesting and so _relaxing_ , and it's not like he can bring Dino back with him. He wouldn't be able to hide a merman in the city.

He falls asleep slowly and has fitful dreams of people finding out about Dino and trying to break into Noct's apartment to kill him. The blaring of his alarm throws him out of it, and he flails his way out of the covers and falls on the floor.

"Owww," he whines to himself. He puts a hand on the top of the bed to help lever himself back to his feet, then feels around for the lamp. The light makes him flinch—it's still _dark_ out—but he slides his glasses on and shuffles over to the bathroom anyway.

Dino is asleep when he enters, and he barely twitches when Prompto flicks the light on. Prompto hasn't actually seen Dino sleeping before, and he takes a moment to admire his peaceful face before kneeling down on the bath mat.

"Hey," Prompto whispers, giving Dino's shoulder a gentle shake. Dino swats at his hand. "C'mon, we have to get you out of here before the sun's up."

Dino slides further under the water, his tail folding to accommodate him. "I don't want to," he mutters, sounding like he's still asleep.

Prompto huffs and reaches for the plug. Dino doesn't react until the water's halfway gone, and then he sits up and rubs his eyes with a groan. "Fine, let's get this over with."

Prompto snickers and pulls him out of the tub, making sure Dino is leaning comfortably over his back before he starts walking. It's a good thing the floors are tile so he doesn't have to worry about getting charged for water damage.

The walk to the hidden fishing pier is long with another person weighing him down, but Prompto doesn't feel like fighting more crabs before he gets to have breakfast. The pier isn't as visible anyway, and there's no point in risking being seen after this long. Dino slides under the water as easily as any fish, but he pops up a second later at the end of the pier. He gestures for Prompto to move closer, and Prompto sits on the edge.

Dino swims up between Prompto's spread feet and bobs with the waves. The sun is starting to rise, and the thin light looks like a halo around his body. Prompto tries not to stare.

"I want to give you something to remember me with," Dino says, pulling off one of his bracelets and taking Prompto's hand. He slides it smoothly onto Prompto's wrist but doesn't let go. "In case we never get to see each other again."

Prompto licks his lips nervously, resisting the urge to play with the new jewelry. "Oh, thanks," he says. "Um. I don't have anything to give you though."

"I can promise you that you're someone I will _never_ forget." Dino uses the edge of the pier to lift himself halfway out of the water, then tangles a hand in the front of Prompto's shirt to yank him down. Prompto makes an embarrassing 'erk' noise at the sudden movement, but he doesn't get to voice a complaint. Dino's lips press against his. He tastes a little bit like fish and a _lot_ like ocean water.

Prompto barely has a chance to kiss back before Dino is slipping away, back into the water. "W-what was—" Prompto gasps, leaning forward so far he almost falls into the water himself.

"Is kissing not also a gesture of romantic affection in humans?" Dino asks, putting his hands on Prompto's knees. The water soaks through the fabric of Prompto's shorts immediately. "I'm willing to learn one last thing if you'd like another demonstration."

"N-no, that's right." Prompto gives him a shaky smile. "I just wasn't expecting. Um. Let me…"

He slides off the pier, idly kicking his legs in the water to keep himself afloat. Dino grins and wraps his arms around Prompto's waist, pulling him close and kissing him again. It's a lot more satisfying this time, because Prompto can wrap his own arms around Dino's neck and actually respond properly.

By the time they pull apart, the sun is almost up and Prompto knows he won't be able to avoid people on his way back to his room. He can't bring himself to care.

"Maybe I can come back next summer?" Prompto says uncertainly.

"Hm, a whole year without you." Dino runs his fingers down Prompto's cheek and the smile on his face is sad. "Hardly ideal, but I think I'll survive if it means I see you again."

He lets go of Prompto and Prompto reluctantly returns to the pier, pulling himself back up. When he turns around, Dino is already gone, not even a shadow of him visible under the water. Prompto still keeps looking, waiting until the sun is fully risen before he turns back for the Quay.

He wishes he'd thought to bring his camera. He'd have liked a picture of the horizon Dino had disappeared into.

**Author's Note:**

> ok but what if all merfolk have dino's shitty new york mobster accent?


End file.
